Captain Kangaroo

7:20pm -- still not working.

Miami Ahead of Akron?

News Release

College D1-A Football Playoff Debate

In any tourney selection committee's eyes, Miami's win vs. Xavier (#18) is 10X better than our close loss to Dayton. We needed to beat them. Close losses are worthless to anyone outside of Akron.

1.) I don't know where Pride will play. I guess we'll get a preview at the spring game. From what I can tell, Jeremy Bruce is expected to be #1 on the slot receiver depth chart.2.) As of 1 month ago, Harvey and Lindsay both were working towards being on the field in an Akron uniform in 2008. Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't. But no one on Carrol Street is banking on it.

As Stan Piatt once told me:Tragedy + Time = Comedy

Bring Pat Summitt to Akron and the JAR would be full. Unfortunately, she ain't comin'.The last couple decades of Zips women's basketball have been fraught with single-digit wins at year's end. 3-23 women's basketball teams draw flies.I have never been to a Zips women's basketball game. There have been infinitely better things to do with my time than travel down to the JAR to watch bad women's basketball. I couldn't watch Coleman Crawford's teams, so I certainly couldn't watch the Lisa Fitch & Kelley Kennedy-led cannon fodder. If the Zips women's team plays some championship-caliber ball, I'll show up and check them out. With all due respect to Coach Kest's present, improving squad, the day the Lady Zips compete for a championship still appears to be a ways off. Not quite as far off as the aforementioned naked cheerleaders, but a ways off none-the-less.

It is too soon to speculate. A loss to OU and/or K.e.n.t. and we'll get a marginal opponent. Miami, OU and K.e.n.t. would get the best opponents under that scenario. If we keep our loss total at three or four @ selection time, I would expect to get someone like Butler or a top MVC program...which would be awesome.

Alex Allen was absolutely killing people at year's end, and Williams was consistently netting yardage in big chunks. If Johnson can shake off the rust...and we add Gary Pride to the mix...we should have the hands-down best running back corp in the MAC. It will be interesting to see if Johnson can run back kicks too? Although no one has mentioned it, Tuzze has developed into a nice FB too.In the end it will boil down to "Do we have a QB that can make plays and sustain drives?" I only have to go as far as my beloved Minnesota Vikings to see: If the QB is ineffective, opponents will stack the box and stuff the run. Even Adrian "All Day" Peterson gets 0.8 yards/carry when the QB is no threat.

Nice Job, Falcons!

Thanks for checking in, Mr. Linhart! Nate goes down, it hurts...but we would survive. Wood goes down...we're screwed. Dials has been a "rock" this year too. Those are our two MVP's thus far, keeping in mind that about 8 other guys are making significant contributions every night too.

Isn't Tulsa a C-USA program?

I think we've blown out some cupcakes more impressively within the past 23 years, but that was the biggest a$$-whuppin' of a quality team I've ever seen the Zips lay down. This performance had to rate a solid "10" from even the surliest curmudgeon on the board. A full 40-minute offensive and defensive clinic. McNees' shooting exhibition harkened back to Jimal Ball vs. Xavier. Maybe Anthony Buford vs. Pitt? But the difference we won this game. In the past, outstanding shooting performances in big games typically allowed the Zips to stay in the hunt. This time it allowed us to wipe somebody out. It is only one game, and the first of a long MAC grind...but to destroy the RedHawks with Linhart going 1-8 and Ced going 2-9 bodes very well for the remainder of the conference schedule. No one can match our depth. Were the RedHawks beaten down by the grind of their pre-conference schedule? I doubt it. They had plenty of rest going into last night's game. They just got whupped...simple as that. Does Jeremiah Wood move ahead of Politz in the MAC POTY race? I think so. Hell...with the defensive performance I saw last night, Dials should move ahead of him too. It reminded me of Jimal Ball vs. Earl Boykins several years ago. Listening to McNees after the game, you can see why he's capable of going on such a scoring tear. He's confident, without being cocky. If the shot is there, he's taking it. In an instant...no hesitation. And unlike the aforementioned Jimal Ball, McNees' shots snap the bottom of the twine. We all waited 3 1/2 more years for Jimal to have another offensive game like the one vs. Xavier. And it never came. McNees seems to be destined for a few more big offensive nights before his career is complete. My Player of the Game: The girl on the unicycle. I thought it was impossible for anyone to follow up McNees' 1st half performance. But flipping 15 bowls on her head with her foot, while pedalling a unicycle with the other foot...probably the best halftime exhibition I've seen is 23 years too. It was a great night to kick Miami's a$$. KD's team came through with a entertaining, thrilling performance in front of a great crowd. Key recruits were on hand. The halftime show ruled. Who could have left that game not looking at their pocket schedules to check out the next home game date? I think the bandwagon will be starting up a few weeks earlier this season. Get your tickets now.

Pirate Charlie cracked me up!Zips 62Miami 58(seven overtimes)Should be an awesome game. The earliest "must win" game at the JAR in Zips history.See you at BW-3's around 5pm?

in the world of collegiate athletics, this statement is pretty common...before someone moves on.Nick SabanBobby PetrinoRich Rodriguezetc.

Unfortunately, I need to lock the topic again. Thanks to all of you who offered some good discussion on the topic.

FYI - I killed the Dwight thread. The "headline" was too harsh (my bad), and since the football board is slow, I didn't want it hanging around for a few weeks.Does Dwight hate UA?Is the guy proud of his alma mater?Is there a limit to the guys' brushes with the law that would finally break your back?I'll leave it up to you to decide.

You hear the name "Gonzaga" brought up a lot when you hear Univerity people talk about their vision for the Zips basketball future. In Mack's interview in the Beacon the other day he mentioned Gonzaga's 6,000 seat arena. That sounds great...just like the JAR...but when the 'Zags play a marquee game like Tennessee or Georgia, they typically move the game to a bigger, downtown venue. We would need to do the same.The downtown arena makes it more inviting for the opponent because is does negate the home court advantage a bit. And you have a better opportunity to draw a big crowd. Because it would be a marquee opponent, and the Zips would have a great chance of knocking them off.Here are the keys to holding a successful game at the Q:The Zips must be very good. If the Zips suck, like a few years ago when we played Cinci at the Q, then no one will show. I didn't even go to that game, and that says a lot.The opponent must be recognizeable to the NE Ohio fan -- Not Nevada. Pitt...Big 10 school, ACC school, Xavier. Something along those lines.Hold the game while school is in session. Fill busses with students. Don't hold it during break.Pimp the game hard. Partner up with K.e.n.t. to make it a twin-bill. K.e.n.t. and Akron fans would stay to watch one-anothers games against marquee opponents. The place would be packed.There you go. Make it happen Mack.

I'd take that.

Stop at BW-3's before the men's game. I'll by you a beer and we can talk about Tom Holden.

I spoke to Waters at the MAC tourney last year. He said "Keith has done a great job at Akron. We aren't ready to play them yet. We'll start the games back up in a year or two."At least the guy is honest. We'll see if he lives up to his word.

How NC A&T beat DePaul is beyond me. I guess it just goes to show, "On any given day...."I thought A&T was boarderline "thug." All their fouls were pretty hard...ask Wood and Middleton.I wonder what effect the Middleton foul had on his shooting? That's the worst I've EVER seen Ced's shoot....he wasn't even close after the first couple minutes.The Cavalry looks to be as good as advertised. I like how they played with confidence and defended aggressively.I thought Wood would get 20 rebounds..in the first half! He ate the lazy A&T big men alive.Dials found his shot. Hope that continues. Interesting that, in the post game, he attributed getting his shot back on track to practicing 1-footers? Linhart and Conyers seem to be an effective 2-headed monster...but Brett McKnight is going to push them. Especially if he can drain the three like he did last night.I think the "second 5" on this Zips' bench are better than most of Crawford and Hipsher's starting 5's? Remember when Brian Wood and Bryan Hipsher were battling for the starting #2 guard position? It was only 5 years ago!Funny that this Zips team has yet to hit on all cylinders, yet we're killing teams? Yes, the teams we've beaten aren't juggernauts. But we're still killing them. I can't wait for the Dayton and Miami games!

I was going through some old emails and I came across this gem from long-time ZipsNation poster Z-P (formerly Z-Pastie).Here is the text, along with the accompanying photo (great stuff):___________________________________________________________Last Saturday, we were sitting under a Frankenheim Brewery umbrella enjoying and Altbeir on the main strasse in the Altstadt section of Dusseldorf before the NFL Europe Championship game. Having had several J, I was content to sit way back, and watch the crowd stroll by, when what to my eyes does appear but a #65 Euro Jersey with a Bears allocation patch on the front. I alerted my boyz, and they gave it an approving nod despite the fact the Euro had a bad dew rag and bad trow on.As the guy walked past, I didn’t look, but my buddy goes “Hey! Look at that impossible name on the back of the jersey!” Turning around, I almost spilled everything off the table. It was Big Griz’s Euro jersey! The guy was very cool…a Belgian Engineer who loved the NFL and had come to Dusseldorf for the game.What a nice surprise!BTW, the star of the game was Butchie Wallace from Marshall who the Zips played against many times.